“The Quality Death Metal Path, Shines Alive Before Us”:  Decrepit Birth and Company, Illuminate Brick by Brick

August 3rd, 2022

                    Fresh off their stellar performance on Day 3 of the California Deathfest VI, Decrepit Birth announced their headlining North America summer tour shortly after, with the Southern California dates having Pathology, Condemned as main support.  Traveling to San Diego to Brick by Brick, with Parasitic opening, this Wednesday evening was packed, and absolutely showed up tonight.  You love to see it!

            Relentless!  The initial description I would describe Parasitic.  Brutal Death Metal with sharp riff character, quality production from all sides, at often times, a non-stop transitional pace.  Their vocalist Sam Townsley, introduced the band, announcing he unfortunately lost his voice, and couldn’t perform tonight.  However, the quality of the music did not waver down in quality, to the point where I overheard in the audience, they couldn’t tell there wasn’t a singer, due to the changing dynamics and aggressive low notes.  The brutal, technical, and quality nature, stood on its own.

             Ranging from chunky downpicking slamage, enriching tremolo riffs, to these lurking, dissonant chord shapes, often setting up Sergio Carlos’s cymbal/blasting combinations, with such force and effect.  The songs didn’t stay too long in one area, with transitions moving around like a spider web creation.  Carlos Miranda and Edgar Figueroa took turns on solos, while Edgar’s rhythm playing was seamless, and captivated the crowd in large headbanging order.  Ranging from his work previous in Cattle, currently the stellar group Cave Bastard and now joining this year in Parasitic, Troy Oftedal’s style of bass play, took on a different and varied role.  From mini bass solos, melodies, and often being heard injunction with the especially intense material, like in the closer “The Sound of Extinction”, it’s such a pleasure to see artists seek, be surrounded by, and create such unique style of extreme music, and to see the fruits of his progressive playing, shining in different colourful lights.

Brutal Death Metal on the independent level like this, is difficult to come by, and here’s to Parasitic making their first full-length record, and needing to hear them in full with Sam, at some point.  Excellent opener to the evening’s Death Metal festivities.

1. Wasted Disease

2. Infested Within

3. Ichthyosis

4. Disfigured Symmetry

5. The Sound of Extinction

            It’s an honour to remember the earlier era discovering Gorgasm, Severed Savior, Odious Mortem, Defeated Sanity, Retch, Devourment, and Brodequin, to name some of the most prolific Brutal Gore Metal groups, from the slam-infested, to the titillating technicality as well.  After a 10-minute delay due to technical difficulties with the drum equipment, thankfully Condemned were able to play their entire 30-minute set.  Clayton Meade’s diverse gurgling vocals, matched the immense blasting and staccato riffing, in short bursts and swift onslaughts.  Meade’s stage presence, ability to perform different gutturals, and movement with the rest of Condemned, was stellar to watch.

            If anyone wondered if making sure the drums were 100% before the set started, was a good idea, that was answered impactfully the moment Jimmy Montes erupted in “Omniscient Perturbations.”  From lightning-quick hyperblasts, that classic ‘ping’ snare sound popular in Gore bands, exhilarating fills with finger rolls cleanly, and in the 220+ BPM speeds, Montes’s brilliant playing was worth Condemned’s entire set alone.  Some of the cymbal fills he was matching alongside the riffs in “Fixation of Suffering”, continued to show the never-ending progressions extreme music make, with aspects of the instruments used together in unique essences. 

The mosh pit opened by “Chapter of Defilement” with what makes Brutal Death Metal distinct and fun as hell to watch live:  Slam.  That ‘caveman’ groovy banging beat, alongside a devastating distortion tone that whirls the brain into wanting to slam said muscle through a wall.  The presence of Steve Crow and Dan Richardson came to life with the slam rhythm breakdowns around the general end of the tracks.  Going from brutality, to fun Thrash-like jolly in the breakdowns, they didn’t feel one-note, or lacking creativity.  An absolute crushing set, and it’d be a crime if Condemned doesn’t play any more shows this year.            

1. Omniscient Perturbations

2. Catharsis of Human Impurity

3. Fixation on Suffering

4. The Divine Order of Babylon

5. Chapter of Defilement

6. Thee I Invoke

7. Devil’s Feast

8. Habitual Depravity

9. Impulsive Dismemberment

            Continuing the train of the Death Metal track, Pathology was present in front of this already now warmed-up Metalhead bunch.  Performing a double-duty at least tonight, not sure about the tour itself, Dan Richardson from Condemned took care of all the guitar duties in Pathology, and although at times missing the rhythm guitar elements, Dan’s solos soared all across the musical canvas, creating a distorted melodic sense to this Brutal Death Metal occasion.  Bassist Ricky Jackson looked the calmest of the group on-stage, but with the one guitar, his heavy-induced notes were felt greatly in the breakdowns.

            The vocal depths of Obie Flett, reached some of the deepest sands of the ocean.  Sensational, monstrous gurgles, in this l'appel du vide, a skyscraper slowly crumbling on top of you.  A leviathan sound of intense growling, it worked especially well.  With most of the tracks clocking in generally around 3-minutes or less, the pace didn’t feel too much or hollow.  Dave Astor’s consistently furious playing, aggressive cymbal work and signature blasting, kept the powerful fury of Pathology through their 40-minute set.  The fans completely ate up Pathology’s set, and although it didn’t quite connect to me on the same level as Parasitic and Condemned previous, the quality of Gore-based Death Metal was more than enough for an enjoyable performance.        

1. A Pound of Flesh

2. Perpetual Torment

3. Engaging in Homicide

4. Processing of Mangled Humans

5. Viciously Defiled

6. As the Entrails Wither

7. Prolonging the Suffering

8. Corporate Harvest

9. Death Ritual Deciphered

10. Media Consumption

11. Imprisoned by Fear

12. Code Injection

            Seeing Decrepit Birth the first time ever back in 2006, it was only the first time a few years ago finally witnessing a headlining set.  Thankful to see tonight’s show, as well as much of the tour footage online, showing strong support band-wise, as well as overall a quality amount of fans attending these performances. 

            The energy from the room, as well as Decrepit Birth, were profoundly off the charts.  As humble, kind, and as passionate as the band has been for their duration, the last few performances, maybe because of their latest record, Axis Mundi (can’t believe it’s been 5 years since the release), due to the added aggressive musical nature of the album, there’s this new, spirited flame, on-stage.  The performances, abilities shine as bright as ever, yet this almost ‘no-nonsense’ approach you can just feel and really see in the demeanor, the songs ‘level-up’, to an even higher standard. “Spirit Guide” demonstrated the continued Progressive elements Decrepit Birth has lamented the last 16 years, yet increasing the ferocious Death Metal nature close to their debut, …And Time Begins.     

            Decrepit Birth’s setlist was diversified, clever, and tremendously hit the audience in the mouth, with three tracks in a row from the 1st record, specifically 2-minute and some change riff powerhouse, “The Infestation”, that obliterated the crowd gazing upon the four musicians, as well as the surging moshing that nearly went on for their 60-minute riveting set.  The amount of bands Gabe Seeber performs with is astronomical, and the killer double-bass sections, whirling fills, and non-stop movement, ensures to see some of his greatest work through Decrepit Birth.  “Prelude to the Apocalypse” was a blast to the past, reminding myself of how ridiculously brutal the band started off being, and not for a second imagining how their material sounds presently. 

            The two responsible for the core, music creation, and the vision of Decrepit Birth:  Matt Sotelo and Bill Robinson’s monumental stage presence, as well as teamwork together, resonate profusely.  You can definitely make a case for Diminishing Between Worlds to be their best work, and I personally believe it to be, with the wonderous, embracing melodies, soundful musical catchiness found in the title track, as well as in “A Gathering of Imagination.”  To believe that this work from 2008, not only still sounds modern, but still feels so exciting, just shows what it did for Decrepit Birth permanently.  Although a 2nd guitar due to the technicality and riff changes would be better to hear live, Matt’s gorgeous guitar tone could be felt in their most brutal and delicate material.  Sean Martinez’s higher bass lines helped keep those higher tones grooving, and deliver a steel-like backbone to the 4/4 breakdowns.  Bill’s insanely captivating movement, and vocal delivery, have not diminished in any form.  And the gutturals were magnified with a surprise cover of “Once Upon the Cross.”  Hopefully the latest Deicide lineup can match this level of intensity, that Decrepit Birth put forth to it.  The best I’ve seen them perform.       

            Death Metal, even in August, never ceases to amaze and astonish.  Decrepit Birth and company, made this Wednesday evening, feel like a weekend show, and the ones present to attend, received another reminder of how fulfilling and nourishing, Extreme Music can be.

1. Vortex of Infinity – Axis Mundi

2. Spirit Guide

3. Metatron

4. Diminishing Between Worlds

5. Of Genocide

6. The Infestation

7. Prelude to the Apocalypse

8. The Resonance

9. Hieroglyphic

10. Transcendental Paradox

11. A Gathering of Imagination

12. Once Upon the Cross (Deicide cover)

13. Symbiosis